Pumpkin, Squash and Whine
by Mistress Sarcasm
Summary: Theresa goes "home" for the holidays


This is a response to a challenge at Thank God It's Fan Fic Friday (http://www.geocities.com/tgifanficf/ ). The challenge was to write a story about a character coming home for the holidays, and this was my twisted interpretation  
~*~  
  
Glowing eyes lined the street, their fairy light piercing through the dark. The flickering lights glowed from sockets in the wrinkled orange faces that peered out like mischiveious goblins. A vampire leered at a princess passing by and a sudden assault from his hiding place caused the poor maiden to let out a frightened shriek. The stern gaze from their mother put a stop to their hijinks as they hoisted their bags of candy over their small shoulders and continued their quest for more sugary sweets.  
  
She pulled her coat tightly around her as the wind tore at her shivering form, the skeletons of ancient fallen leaves crunching beneath her boot heel. She was late in getting home, and her tardiness was being punished by the bitter winds that swarmed in from the sea. Witches and ghouls were scattered along the sidewalk as she swiftly brushed past them, anxious to be sitting by the fire sipping some of Pilar's famous hot chocolate. She rubbed her hands together before tightening the scarf that bound her raven hair.  
  
"I must get home quickly, Moma is expecting me..." she muttered to herself, the words swirling in a whisp of frost.  
  
Deciding a shortcut would be best, she slipped between the rows of houses bathed in orange light and cut across a field. The sun was slipping even further past the horizon and she could feel the uncoming darkness pressing upon the earth. She quickened her pace, but soon cursed in pain when her foot caught on something on the ground. A gnarled vine had ensnared her foot and she wiggled her ankle to free herself.  
  
"I must have crossed the pumpkin patch," she thought as she freed her foot.  
  
The field lay still and empty. Stripped of orange it lay nude and exposed. She could hear the soft rumbling of cars ahead and knew that the road must be close by. Stumbling up a hill she grabbed the back of a pickup truck parked on the side of the road for support. Breathing heavily she didn't notice the heavy load the truck held, nor the barrier sliding from the jarring movements of her hand. Suddenly, dozens of pumpkins came catapulting off the back of the truck. The avalanche of orange muffled the screams that easily mixed with the Hallowe'en cackles and delighted shrieks.  
  
Her eyes fluttered open and took in a world bathed in scarlet. It was hot, she realized, boiling in fact. She could almost feel her skin melting like hot wax. Columns of fire and ash supported a ceiling of brimstone. The smell of sulfur was trapped in her lungs. She tried to stand up, feeling her legs shake with fear. Screams filled the hollows of her ears as she stumbled along the floor. A stiffled shriek made her look down and gasp in terror as she realized that the floor was fabricated with human heads. She looked up to see a sight that unfortunetly wasn't any more pleasant. Two lumbering figures emerged from the flames and grabbed her arms with their sinewny fingers. Their faces were contorted and disfigured, jet-black pupils glaring up at her with wicked glee. She was being dragged towards a room, its door gaping in an open-mouthed sneer. She screamed and screamed as they forcifully dragged her into the darkened chamber. It was decorated in a lurid shade of red, morbid shadows moving along the stone walls. A creature, the most horrific creature she had ever seen, sat perched upon a black throne awash in blood-red mist. Its face was such a vivid shade of red it appeared to have been pulled from a blistering fire. Two horns portruded from its skull and its feet were really hooves like an ox. Its slit of a mouth spread in a wide grin revealing rows of blackened teeth.  
  
"Dark Lord, Miss Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald for you Master..." one of the twisted creatures hissed to the demon who sat upon the throne.  
  
"W-who are you?" Theresa cried, her face covered in a wave of tears.  
  
"I go by many names... Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, The Devil. I personally prefer the Prince of Darkness, it has such a regal ring to it don't you think?"  
Theresa clapped her hands over her mouth and shook with a fresh tempest of sobs. The Devil slid off his throne and knelt beside her, wiping a tear from her cheek with a clawed hand.  
  
"Welcome home my dear. We've been expecting you..." 


End file.
